No to bilingual city

I read Pat Spellman from Tauranga wants Tauranga City to be the first to have signs in public places both in English and Te Reo Maori.

Before he does that, why don’t we also have Mandarin and Gaelic language included as well, as Chinese and Celts were here long before Maori arrived. The Celts (Scots), who were here first were the indigenous people of New Zealand, and one of their languages is Gaelic.

Maori were never a race of people, they were a group of coloured people that were abandoned here as slaves, no women, by a Chinese pirate/trader Admiral Zheng He.

A great number of these people were sick with chest complaints, TB suspected. The Scottish people who were already living here took them under their wing and nursed them back to health.

As none knew where they came from, the Scots called them “’Populi de mare’ (Latin for people from the sea). This became simple ‘mare’, then ended up as Maori and has presently reverted to its original pronunciation.

8 Comments

What?

Posted on 21-03-2014 17:57 | By Johnnyredneck

This sort of letter is what Tauranga is famous all around the country for.... rednecks

Kia kaha Tauranga

Posted on 20-03-2014 11:41 | By crazyhorse

I don’t see any comments here talking about any input from the rate payers of Tauranga, wonder how they feel about changing all the signage to Maori, after all, they are the ones paying for it,or does Pat Spellman speak for all of Tauranga, looks like another push by a "very small" minority of people to oppress the views of the majority??, one way to find out ask the people, not "some" of them, ALL OF THEM!.

Is this for real?

Posted on 19-03-2014 23:09 | By Kiwi Scottsman

Let me preface this comment by saying that I am a 36 year old New Zealand male of European descent. This article is a disgrace. Sunlive, you should take a long look at yourself for allowing such trash to be published under your name. Not only is it factually incorrect, it is bordering on deranged. The Maori people are without doubt a "race", and a proud one at that. You do yourself no favours allowing redneck propaganda a place to vent its disgusting views. I am proud to be a New Zealander, and will always be respectful of Maori culture and the dignity they have shown in the face of continual European abuse and disrespect. Without the influence of Maori, this country would be so much culturally poorer. I apologise on behalf of all of "white" New Zealand for the attitudes of people like Ian Brougham. Kia kaha.

Idiots

Posted on 19-03-2014 23:02 | By rngatoko

Haha how stupid & idiotic can old man Ian from wanganui & caveman be Tauranga will become a bilingual city. People like you are complete waste of space & time

Really!?

Posted on 19-03-2014 15:36 | By Yeahnah

Why is someone from Whanganui putting in his 5 cents, riveting story by Mr Brougham indeed, but like it or not, if the signs go ahead or not, he will be surrounded by the Maori language regardless.

Kia kaha Tauranga

Posted on 19-03-2014 12:51 | By Potaua

Te reo Maori is a descriptive language of beauty, filled with its own resonance and available for all to share. We here in Rotorua love to see Maori language celebrated in street signs, spoken by children and sang by international visitors. Te reo Maori is a language of love, it is a way to speak about and hear nature, and Tauranga will be truly blessed by bilingualism, as much as it will from multilingualism. Others will distract and hate, as they do. To Pat and his whanau, kia kaha. Many of us support your kaupapa. And to the Ians of the world - wake up bro. Visit your local marae, then a library and then write back. The Chinese korero was already debunked and the actual story is far more fascinating. Nga mihi aroha.

Assumption.

Posted on 19-03-2014 11:00 | By Desiree

It is not right to go by your assumptions publicly. Correctively it’s an official language of this Country . Should you have the belief you are indeed correct, you must convince NZ to have Maori language abolished officially.Its a Big Doubt there.there.